


Midori Tōrō

by Trace_Carter



Category: Green Lantern (Comics), 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, DC Comics References, Lantern Corps, Midoriya Izuku becomes a Green Lantern, Powerful Midoriya Izuku, Quirkless Midoriya Izuku
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-31
Updated: 2020-07-19
Packaged: 2021-01-15 08:11:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,302
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21250214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trace_Carter/pseuds/Trace_Carter
Summary: Izuku was Quirkless, but he didn't let that stop him.  Chosen to wield one of the greatest weapons the galaxy has to offer, Midoriya Izuku won't let a simple thing like having no Quirk stop him from becoming a Hero.  For in brightest day and in darkest night, no evil will escape his sight.





	1. A Ring from Above

** Sector 1120: Deep Space **

Deep in space, amidst a swirling nebula, two beings cloaked in glowing auras were locked in heated combat, blasts of yellow and green energy being hurled at each other while solid constructs made of said energy provided support around them.

“It’s useless Votan,” said one of the figures, this one clad in yellow with red skin and two tendrils extending from his chin, “The Sinistro Corps will have your ring if I have to pry it from your corpse!”

The now named Votan, a humanoid figure with blue skin and red eyes that was clad in green armor, dodged several yellow energy blasts before retaliating with his own green blasts in the form of several drills, “Kiran, you and your master can kiss my ass! Ring, emergency protocol Green 52 Zeta!”

An emerald colored ring on the green-clad figure’s hand began to glow with power before releasing a blast of energy that ignited the gas in the nebula around them, creating a massive explosion. When the explosions ceased, the yellow clad figure was floating unconscious while there was nothing left of his opponent other than his emerald ring, which promptly vanished in a blink of light as it flew off with incredible speed.

** Sector 2814: Earth **

Millions of lightyears away, in the nation of Japan on the planet Earth, a young boy with green hair was sitting alone on a swing set in a children’s park with a dejected look on his face. The boy’s name was Izuku Midoriya, and the reason for his despair was this: all his life, young Izuku wanted to grow up to become a Professional Hero and save people in need, just like his idol, All Might, the Symbol of Peace, but that all changed several years back. You see, for one to be a Hero, they need a Quirk, a special power developed randomly by about 80% of the Earth’s population, but Izuku was different. He had gone to get a checkup with his mother due to his Quirk taking a while to manifest, but the doctor had given them some bad news.

It seemed that Izuku lacked the genetic trait that humans had evolved to gain Quirks, making him among the Quirkless minority. He didn’t let that get him down though, as he still strived to become a Hero, but he had become an object of pity and ridicule from many of his peers, with many of his former friends becoming bullies that made his school life quite difficult, and it was those actions that led him to be sitting alone in the park.

Looking up at the sky, Izuku saw a shooting star and decided to make a wish, “Please, help me become a Hero.”

Almost as if it heard him, the light changed directions and began to fly _towards_ the verdette, causing him to scramble to get out of the way as a tiny object flew into the ground, creating a small crater upon impact. Crawling to his feet, Izuku carefully made his way over to the object and, to his surprise, saw that it was a ring that seemed to have been cut from solid emerald with a strange symbol set into it, emitting a glowing green light. Curious as to what this strange ring was, Izuku carefully reached out a hand to pick it up, and was surprised when it shot off the ground and placed itself upon his right middle finger.

“Wh-what the heck?!” he exclaimed as the ring’s glow seemed to increase and envelop him.

**[Suitable match found.]**

“What was that?” exclaimed Izuku as he turned to try and find the owner of the mysterious voice he had heard, “Who’s there?”

**[Please state your name.]**

“M-M-Midoriya Izuku,” stammered Izuku nervously.

**[Greetings Midoriya Izuku of Earth, you have been judged to have the ability to overcome great fear. Welcome to the Green Lantern Corps.]**

“Who are you?” asked Izuku before looking at the ring and noticing a symbol carved into it that resembled a lantern, “Are you the ring?”

**[Correct, Lantern Izuku. What you are hearing is the thought impressions of the deceased Lantern Votan, programed to act as a guide and training tool for a potential successor.]**

“What are you?” asked Izuku.

**[This unit is known as a Power Ring, capable of channeling energy from the Emotional Spectrum of Will, characterized by the color Green. As a member of the Green Lantern Corps, you have been selected to wield this power.]**

“But what is the Green Lantern Corps?” asked Izuku, wanting to know more about this group he had been seemingly drafted into.

**[The Green Lantern Corps is a Galactic organization of Peacekeepers led by the Guardians of the Universe from the planet of Oa.]**

“So they’re heroes?” said Izuku as a flicker of hope began to blossom in him.

**[Indeed, Lantern Izuku. The purpose of the Green Lantern Corps is to safeguard the universe and to preserve peace, so by this planet’s definition, they are indeed Heroes.]**

“What can these rings do?” asked Izuku eagerly, his dreams of being a hero gaining new life, “Are there any limitations on their power? What are their capabilities and weaknesses?”

**[A Green Lantern Ring operates on Willpower, Lantern Izuku. Nearly any feat is possible if your will is strong enough.]**

“Anything?” exclaimed Izuku happily and he suddenly found himself floating ten feet off the ground, “I can fly!”

**[Yes, Lantern Izuku, flight is indeed one of the abilities granted to the members of the Green Lantern Corps. However, before I explain more, you will need to retrieve your Power Battery from its pocket dimension to recharge this unit’s systems.]**

“How do I do that?” asked Izuku as he looked at the ring.

**[You must recite the Oath of the Lantern Core, Lantern Izuku. I am transmitting the words into your memory now. Please hold up your Ring and recite the oath.]**

“W-wait!” exclaimed Izuku, “At least let me get home first! Mom will be getting worried.”

**[Very well, Lantern Izuku. This unit sees the logic in your request, but do hurry. The charge within this unit will only last so long.]**

Izuku blinked and he promptly dropped onto his butt as the energy that was allowing him to fly suddenly cut out.

**[…as I said.]**

Izuku sighed and began jogging back towards his house. His mother said she would make his favorite tonight and he didn’t want to keep her waiting.

xXsceneXx

After a delicious meal of Katsudon cooked by Izuku’s mother, Inko, the verdette sat on his bed, having locked the door to his room, and prepared to recite the Green Lantern Oath that had been beamed into his mind.

“Right,” said Izuku to himself as he held out his hand with the ring on it, “how did it go again?”

**[The oath has been imprinted in your memory, Lantern Izuku. You just need to recite it.]**

“Right right,” sighed Izuku, “here we go. **_In Brightest Day, In Blackest Night, No Evil Shall Escape My Sight. Let Those Who Worship Evil’s Might, Beware My Power, Green Lantern’s Light!_**”

A bright emerald light erupted from the ring, filling the room with its radiance. The light then began to coalesce and form into a solid object, taking the shape of a lantern that floated in front of him, bathing Izuku with its light.

**[Congratulations Lantern Izuku, you have successfully summoned the Power Battery. This unit is now operating at 100%.]**

Izuku gingerly reached out for the Power Battery and noticed something off. He had been wearing a black jacket and pants earlier, but now his hand was covered by a green gauntlet. Looking over the rest of himself, he was surprised to see he was now wearing an outfit consisting of a set of emerald armor over a dark green jumpsuit with glowing green highlights and an emblem on the chest that bore the same lantern symbol as his ring, giving the outfit an almost cybernetic look.

“Wh-what is this?” exclaimed Izuku upon seeing his new outfit.

“Izuku, is everything alright up there?” asked his mother from downstairs.

“Everything’s fine!” exclaimed Izuku, not wanting to have to explain all of this right at the moment.

“If you say so,” said Inko, “just remember to get enough sleep. You have school tomorrow.”

“I will,” Izuku called back before glaring at the ring on his hand, “why am I wearing this outfit? What happened to my clothes?”

**[Upon reciting the Oath of the Green Lantern Corps, you were clothed in the uniform of the Corps. You now are an official member of the Green Lanterns of Oa.]**

Izuku looked over his new outfit and had to admit that it would make an awesome Hero Costume. He had all but given up on his dream of entering U.A. and becoming a Pro Hero, but with the powers the ring gives him, maybe there was still hope.

“Ring,” said Izuku, “are you able to train me in the usage of these new powers?”

**[That is the primary function of this A.I. This unit can teach you how to harness your power until it becomes second nature to you.]**

“Well then,” said Izuku, “we have work to do.”

xXsceneXx

It had been a few weeks since Izuku had first recited the oath and claimed the powers of the Green Lanterns, and through training, he had begun to understand just what he could do with the emerald energies of his ring. Through practice, Izuku had learned to manipulate the energy he could project to create barriers, shoot destructive bolts of energy, and even fly. He had gotten quite good with flight and shooting energy blasts from his ring, his creation of solid-light objects like shields and constructs wasn’t progressing as far as he had hoped.

He had also been working on his physical conditioning at the Ring’s suggestion. His conditioning and stamina weren’t good, and he knew that he would need to improve if he wanted to keep up with any criminals that he had to fight in the future, especially if there came a time that he would have to act without relying on the aid of his Ring. It wasn’t easy, but he had begun to develop a visible muscle tone, and though he wasn’t on the level of any star athletes or such, he was much more than the weak little kid that had first found the Power Ring.

Izuku was currently attending another day at Aldera Junior High, and, with the year winding down, the teacher was having a discussion with the students about their plans for their coming lives as High Schoolers. He had recently watched a showdown between rising star Pro Hero Kamui Woods, and a purse snatcher criminal with a Quirk that transformed him into a monster, though he was a bit disappointed when a newbie Hero, Mt. Lady flew in for the takedown and used the incident to steal glory and make her debut.

Putting those thoughts aside though, he had recorded their data in his notebook as he always did with Pro Heroes, and now sat patiently in the classroom as the teacher talked on.

“Since you’re all third years, it’s time for you to think seriously about your future,” said the teacher, “I’ll pass out handouts for your future plans now, but you’re all pretty much planning to go into the hero course, right?”

The classroom erupted into cheers, with the students all eager to take the glory road, even going far enough to let loose some of their flashy Quirks.

“Yes yes,” chuckled the teacher as he quelled the ruckus, “you all have wonderful Quirks! But using your powers at school is against the rules!”

“Oi Sensei,” laughed a spiky haired student, “don't let me in with these bunch of losers. I'm the real deal but these guys will be lucking to be a sidekick to some busted deal lister.”

This was Katsuki Bakugo, childhood friend turned bully and tormentor of Izuku Midoriya nicknaming him Deku as a sign of disrespect, user of a powerful Quirk that had explosive effects…literally. His Quirk allowed him to secrete a nitroglycerine-like sweat that gave him the ability to create powerful explosions as will.

The teacher checked his notes as the rest of the class, minus Izuku, objected to the insulting comments that had been sent their way, “If I recall correctly, you wanted to attend U.A. High, Bakugo-kun?”

“That’s right,” scoffed the explosive teen, “I aced all the mock tests, meaning I’m the only one here that has a good chance of getting in. The rest of you side characters watch, I’ll surpass even All Might and take the spot of number one Pro Hero.”

“Oh right,” said the teacher as he read his notes, “Midoriya-kun, you’re intending to go to U.A. as well.”

There was silence for a moment before the other students erupted into laughter, causing the verdette teen to flush in embarrassment.

“Ha!” one laughed, “You can’t expect to make it at U.A. without a Quirk!”

“Like you could ever make it, Midoriya,” said another.

“No,” said Izuku, “they abolished that rule. I could be the first.”

“What do you think you’re talking about Deku,” growled Katsuki, “you’re not even at the level of the rejects here. You’re a Quirkless loser, and there’s no way that U.A. will want anything to do with you when they can have me.”

In another life, Izuku would have tried to justify his attending and convince his former friends that he could still be a hero, but here, he KNEW that he could do it. Izuku knew that, because of the powers his ring gave him, he didn’t need a Quirk. He’d keep pressing onwards with what he had been given. And thus, he just remained silent, prompting Bakugo to huff and turn away as the teacher tried to regain control of the class once again.

xXsceneXx

Due to him not provoking Bakugo, things passed smoothly for the rest of the day, and Izuku soon found himself walking home, taking a shortcut under a bridge to save time. Suddenly though, a shadow enveloped him and it was only the Ring’s automatic response putting a shield around him that kept a slime villain from smothering the boy.

“Hahahaha!” laughed the villain with a Sludge Quirk, “you’ll make the perfect disguise. A medium sized skinsuit!”

Izuku struggled to bring up his Ring and blast the villain, but the panic from being practically smothered was interfering with his powers.

**[Lantern Midoriya, fear levels are at a dangerous point and are inhibiting the Will energy you can produce. Calming down would be advisable.]**

‘_How can I just calm down in this situation?_’ thought Izuku as he tried to fight, but couldn’t move.

“**_Texas Smash!_**”

Suddenly a blast of air pressure struck the two of them and tore the sludge villain off of Izuku’s body, his shield dissipating once the threat was over. Looking to his savior, Izuku managed to catch a glimpse of a familiar muscular silhouette standing there with a smile that he’d recognize anywhere.

“**Hahaha,**” laughed the man, “**everything’s alright now. Why? Because I am here.**”

“All Might…?” gasped Izuku, before he passed out due to the attack and rescue being a bit much for him to take in.


	2. Shining Bright

Izuku began to regain consciousness as he felt someone tapping his cheek, and he slowly began to open his eyes. As his vision came into focus, Izuku saw a figure leaning over him as with a concerned look on his face.

“**Hey, you ok there kid? Thought we lost you for a second.**”

Izuku’s eyes widened in shock as he realized that his hero, The Symbol of Peace, the top ranked Pro Hero, All Might, was leaning over him and slapping his cheek to wake him up.

“ALL MIGHT!” exclaimed Izuku as he shot upright. Unfortunately, this meant his head slammed into the Symbol of Peace’s face, which felt like hitting a brick wall due to all that solid muscle, “Itai.”

“**Careful there, kid,**” said All Might as he stood up, “**sorry about back there, I didn’t mean for you to get caught up in that. I try to keep bystanders safe from my fights by paying better attention, but those sewers were difficult to navigate and he kind of got away from me.**”

Izuku just silently gaped at him, in shock about meeting his idol face to face. All Might took that as a positive sign to continue and stood tall, giving Izuku a thumbs up.

“**Still, you were a big help back there, distracting him long enough for me to take him down once and for all, so thank you,**” laughed the Pro Hero as he pointed to a pair of 2-liter soda bottles that held the sludge form of the captive villain.

‘_All Might,_’ thought Izuku in shock, ‘_he’s standing right in front of me…in the flesh…right here!_”

**[If I may, Lantern Izuku, you might want to say something. The silence is getting awkward, even for me.]**

Izuku shook his head to snap himself out of it and began to quickly search his schoolbag, “Oh, right! An a-autograph! Where should I…right! In that notebook!”

Izuku quickly dug through his bag and pulled out his current Hero Notebook, flipping through it to find an empty page for the Pro Hero’s autograph, but, to his surprise, there was already the words, ‘All Might’ scrawled across two pages with a cute little doodle of the Pro Hero smiling with a thumbs up.

“HE ALREADY DID!?” exclaimed Izuku in surprise at seeing the autograph.

**[I believe that was obvious, Lantern Izuku.]**

Ignoring the deadpan remark from his Power Ring, Izuku hugged the notebook to his chest, “Thank you so much, I will treasure this forever.”

“**Ha ha ha!**” laughed All Might before standing tall, “**Well, I must be going now. I need to deliver this villain to the proper authorities.**”

“Wait,” exclaimed Izuku, “so soon?”

**[I can’t imagine that it’s a surprise. Heroes as you’ve described have much that they need to take care of.]**

Ignoring the deadpan comment from his Ring and turns desperately to All Might, who was preparing to leap off, “Wait, there’s something I really need to ask you!”

“**Thank you for your continued support!**” yelled All Might as he leapt into the sky, but as he flew through the air, he noticed an extra weight hanging from his leg.

In his desperation to talk with his idol, Izuku had moved without thinking and grabbed onto All Might’s leg, leaving him dangling from the limb as he held on tight.

“**Oi, I think you’re taking this fanboy thing a bit far!**” said All Might.

“I have an important question to ask you!” yelled Izuku, not really afraid since he could fly with his ring.

**[About that, Lantern Izuku, this unit’s charge is at a dangerous level. You will not be able to use its power until after recharging. And it is not advised that you do so in midair.]**

Wait…what?

“PLEASE DON’T DROP ME!” Exclaimed Izuku, now holding on for dear life.

xXsceneXx

“**Good grief,**” sighed All Might once the two of them had landed on a building’s roof, “**that wasn’t a very smart move kid. Knock on the door and the people that live here should let you in, now I need to be going.**”

“Wait,” exclaimed Izuku, “I want to ask you something…”

“**I don’t have the time!**” All Might cut him off as steam began to emit from his body.

“But it’s important!” insisted Izuku as more steam flowed off the Pro Hero.

“**I need to leave!**” insisted All Might as the steam began to shroud him from view.

“Wait!” said Izuku as he looked at the ground, “It’s just, I’ve always wanted to be a hero, but I’m Quirkless. So…can a Quirkless person like me become a hero like you?”

The verdette’s words made the Hero pause, but before he could give an answer, he felt something happening to his body, like someone letting the air out of a balloon, ‘**_Crap I’m o_**_ut of time._’

Izuku didn’t hear a response, so he looked up to where the Pro Hero stood, but instead of the tall, proud, muscular figure that the public knew and loved, he saw a haggard, skinny, man with sunken features and bony limbs standing amidst the clearing steam.

“EHHHHHHHHHH?!” exclaimed Izuku in shock, “What’s going on?! Where’s All Might?”

“I am All Might,” said the man in a resigned voice.

“But, but,” stammered Izuku as he stared at the gaunt man that claimed to be the Symbol of Peace.

“You know how people suck in their gut at the pool in order to look cool?” asked the man, getting a nod from Izuku, “It’s kind of like that.”

“But All Might is the Symbol of Peace!” exclaimed Izuku, “He…you’re…always standing strong with a fearless smile.”

“…fearless smile, huh?” said the man ruefully before sitting down and pulling up his shirt, revealing a hideous, twisted scar on the side of his body, “Five years ago, a fight with an enemy did this to me. My respiratory system was nearly destroyed and my stomach had to be surgically removed. The many surgeries I had to go through caused my body to waste away into what you see before you, limiting the use of my Quirk to three hours per day.”

“Five years ago,” murmured Izuku, “was that when you fought Toxic Chainsaw?”

“You do your homework kid,” chuckled All Might, “but no, this incident was never made public per my request, because the public could never know that the Symbol of Peace was reduced to such a state.”

Lowering his shirt, he fixed Izuku with a serious look, “The Symbol of Peace who saves people with a smile, must never be daunted by evil. You called my smile fearless? My smile…is my way of hiding the immense pressure and fear I feel.”

All Might sighed and looked down at his gaunt and bony hands, “A Pro Heroes must always be ready to put their lives on the line to help others. Without a Quirk to protect you, that’s practically a death wish.”

“It’s not wrong to dream, kid,” said All Might as he stood up, “but you won’t make it as a Hero without a Quirk to back you up.”

The Pro Hero walked over to the rooftop door, opening it, before pausing, “If you still wish to help people, then consider a job in law enforcement. People may look down on Villain Custody Officers, but their work is indeed admirable.”

With that, All Might left the rooftop, leaving a dejected Izuku with his thoughts. The teen had wanted to be reassured by his idol that his dream could be a reality, but he had had his dreams shot down by the Symbol of Peace and he had learned a surprising truth about him as well.

Disheartened, Izuku made his way downstairs and headed through the streets to get back to his neighborhood. As he walked, he reflected on all the work he had put toward becoming a hero: his creation of his Hero notes, his training with the Ring, all of it. According to All Might, it was all for naught. As he passed by an alley, he saw a large crowd of civilians had gathered, probably to watch several Heroes take on a Villain, he even spotted Pro Heroes Backdraft and Death Arms, but strangely enough, none of the Pros seemed able to take action.

Curious, Izuku moved closer and pushed his way through the crowd to get a better look, and what he saw sent a chill down his spine.

There, thrashing in the middle of the alley, with what seemed like another captive within its mass, was the same Slime Villain that All Might had captured earlier.

‘_But how?_’ thought Izuku, ‘_All Might captured him and…!_’

Suddenly he remembered. When he had leapt to grab onto All Might’s leg, he must have knocked loose the bottles containing the trapped Villain, and now it was free to attack, and it was all his fault.

Unknown to all those watching, a certain Symbol of Peace was also present, watching the struggle, wishing he could help, but knowing that his time limit had expired.

‘_All I can do is just stand here and watch!_’ All Might thought angrily as he gripped the area of his body that was covered in scars, ‘_I’m pathetic! If only I hadn’t used up my time limit!_’

“Why aren’t the Pros doing anything?” asked one person near Izuku as he fearfully watched the Villain struggle.

“Didn’t you hear?” answered another, “The Villain has a hostage. Some kid with an Explosion Quirk.”

This caused Izuku to stop cold as he snapped his head back around to look at the Villain, and sure enough, revealed by an explosion that blasted some, but not enough of the slime off, was the struggling form of Izuku’s classmate, Katsuki Bakugo.

‘_Kacchan!_’ thought Izuku.

It was a moment that would change young Izuku’s life forever. In that instant, his body simply took action without him worrying about the consequences. Running forward, Izuku rushed past the Pros that were keeping the crowd back and, ignoring their protests, he made a beeline towards the Slime Villain, intent on rescuing his friend.

‘_What do I do, what do I do?_’ thought Izuku frantically as the Villain noticed him and lunged at him, before remembering something from his notes on Kamui Woods, ‘_Right! Page 25!_’

Swinging his bag off his back, Izuku hurled it at the charging Villain, the pack smacking him in the eye and distracting him long enough for Izuku to rush in close and begin to claw at the slime encasing Katsuki.

“DEKU!” yelled Bakugo as he managed to fee his face, “Why are you here?”

“I don’t know,” said Izuku as he continued to fight, “my body just moved on its own.”

‘_I have to do something!_’ thought Izuku frantically, a thought that was echoed in a certain Symbol’s mind.

‘_I can’t just stay on the sidelines!_’ thought All Might, ‘_Not when there are people in danger!_’

Steam began to pour from the Pro Heroes body as he watched Izuku continue to struggle, and his muscles began to twitch.

“**Get lost!**” yelled the Slime Villain as it used Bakugo’s Quirk to release an explosion that sent Izuku flying into the wall of the alley.

‘_I can’t give up,_’ thought Izuku, ‘_I won’t give up! I will SAVE HIM!_’

Desperately, Izuku pointed his Ring at the Villain and marshaled his will, “**_In Brightest Day, In Blackest Night, No Evil Shall Escape My Sight! Let You Who Worships Evil’s Might, Beware My Power GREEN LANTERN’S LIGHT!_**”

Instantly, Izuku’s Ring was fully charged, and it released a pulse of emerald energy that struck the Slime Villain, blasting it off and away from Katsuki, allowing the teen to fall to his knees, gasping for breath. Izuku rushed forward to help Katsuki to his feet, but this left him open as the Slime Villain pulled itself together and attacked the two teens, forming its body into a wave of sludge that was aimed to crash down on them.

“**You brats!**” yelled the Villain, but suddenly a large figure landed between them with his fist reared back.

“**_DETROIT SMASH!_**” yelled All Might as he punched forward, releasing a shockwave that not only splattered the Slime Villain across the walls of the alley, but blew the clouds out of the sky, clearing the sky, “**You boys fought bravely, but it’s alright now, because I am here!**”

The civilians watching cheered as All Might stood tall, the police gathering up the slime in a containment unit to be transferred to prison, and nobody noticed the steam coming from his body or the red stains on the corner of his mouth.

xXsceneXx

The other Heroes had wrapped things up after that, and Izuku had gotten a stern dressing down for his reckless actions and for rushing into danger, and now he was continuing on his way back to his house. He was nearing the street he lived on, when a familiar figure jumped out in front of him.

“**I AM HERE!**” exclaimed All Might, causing Izuku to jump back in surprise.

“All Might!” exclaimed Izuku, “Wh-what are you doing here.”

“**I wish to offer you an apology,**” said the Symbol of Peace before reverting from his muscle form to his civilian one, “I told you that being a Hero meant that you must be willing to put your life on the line, but when it came down to it, I found myself a hypocrite, unable to practice what I preached. When I saw you rush to rescue your friend, my spirit was moved, and when you used your Quirk, I knew that you would become a great Hero. In fact, I wish to offer you something. I wish to make you the inheritor of my power and my legacy.”

“What are you talking about?” asked Izuku confusedly.

“You see,” said All Might, “the Quirk I wield is special. It can be passed down to others like a mantle of power and responsibility. After seeing you act, your body moving without thinking in order to save others, I believe you have proven that you will become a great Hero. Your Quirk proves as much as well.”

Izuku was silent for a moment as he took all this in. Slowly he raised his head and met the gaze of his idol with a serious smile, “I am honored…but you’re wrong.”

“I beg your pardon?” asked All Might.

“You said that my Quirk showed that I can shine bright,” said Izuku, “but the truth is, I don’t have one.”

Holding up his hand, Izuku showed All Might the Power Ring on his middle finger, “The powers I possess come from this Ring. Using it, it can seem like I have a Quirk, when in actuality, I’m Quirkless, but that’s alright. I’m going to prove that I can be a hero. That is why I must decline your generous offer. I’ll show everyone that I can be a hero without a Quirk.”

This made All Might smile as he put a reassuring hand on the teen’s shoulder, “Of that, I have no doubt.”

As Izuku walked away, All Might’s smile remained as he watched the teen, a nostalgic feeling in his chest, one that reminded him of when a certain Hero offered him the same chance to shine bright, seeing the potential that All Might now saw in Izuku. Potential that shone bright enough to illuminate the blackest night.


	3. The Will to Pass

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, pairings for this fic are somewhat undecided, though I am leaning towards IzukuXMomo, mostly because of the similarity of their powers (Momo’s Creation and Izuku’s Energy Constructs) but that is not set in stone yet. I am going to draw the line at requests for me to pair him with Nejire, as I’d prefer Izuku be paired with someone in his age group. Well, as per usual, if you have a pairing you’d like to see, let me know and give a good argument for it and it will be considered.

Several months had passed since the Sludge Villain incident and Izuku’s meeting with All Might. He had been training intensely with his Power Ring and had come to master the basic energy blast, shield, and flight powers, but he still had a hard time grasping the energy constructs, his Ring saying that he simply lacked a solid mental focus to model the constructs around, whatever that meant.

**[As I have told you, Lantern Izuku, to properly mold your energy into solid constructs, you must have a clear picture in your mind of what you wish to create, and the Will to manifest it into reality]**

Also, he had gotten used to hearing the Ring’s voice talking in his head, as weird as that seemed. He also hadn’t seen much of Katsuki outside of regular classes, though the teen seemed to be keeping his distance from him for some reason.

In any case, the time had come for the U.A. Entrance Exam and Izuku was now standing eagerly at the massive gates of the academy, ready to take the first step towards his life as a Hero. Swallowing nervously, he couldn’t help but feel intimidated by the size and majesty of the greatest Hero Academy in Japan, and the fact that he was going to be a student here.

**[Lantern Izuku, I feel obliged to inform you that this ‘path toward being a hero’ will not begin unless you literally take that ‘first step’]**

“Right,” said Izuku, “the first step. Here we go!”

Marshalling his resolve, Izuku forced his legs to move so that he could cross the threshold…unfortunately, his foot caught on a rock and he tripped. It seemed like his first day at U.A. was going to begin with a faceplant into the pavement, but he suddenly felt a hand tap his back and he was suddenly floating in the air a foot above the sidewalk. Scrambling, to an upright position, he activated his Right and was enveloped in an emerald glow just as the antigravity faded, allowing him to float down to the ground under his own power.

“I’m so sorry,” said a girl’s voice, causing Izuku to turn and see an attractive girl with short brown hair and a round face, “I know it’s kind of rude for me to use my Quirk on you without permission, but I didn’t want to see you start your day faceplanting into the ground. Anyways, good luck with the exam.”

With that the girl jogged off towards the building, leaving a stunned Izuku standing there with a goofy grin.

“I just talked to a girl!” mumbled Izuku happily.

**[Lantern Izuku, I do not believe a one-sided conversation such as that can be referred to as ‘talking to a girl.’]**

Izuku sighed at his Ring’s voice and didn’t answer, instead walking into the school building. Once inside, he was given the welcome packet for the Hero Course Exam from a faculty member and directed to a seat in the auditorium. The plus side: he was sitting next to someone familiar. The downside: it was Bakugo.

“Tch,” growled Izuku’s longtime tormentor, “the fuck are you doing here, Deku?”

Izuku flinched at that and glanced downward, but the sight of the ring on his middle finger helped him firm up his resolve.

“I’m here to attempt to get into U.A. Kacchan,” said Izuku as he took his seat.

Bakugo seemed ready to retort, but the lights began to dim and everyone’s attention was drawn to a figure on stage.

"EVERYBODY SAY 'HEY!"

Seeing that his entrance had gotten no noticeable reaction, Pro Hero Present Mic continued on with his introductory speech, "Ok all you hero hopefuls, I'm here to give you the rules of the UA Practical Exam, ARE YOU READY?"

Once again, the hero's loud declaration was net with silence, but the Pro didn’t let that get him down as he pressed a button on a remote, causing several images to appear on a screen behind him.

“OK!” said Present Mic, “Here's how the test will go everybody. You'll all be separated and sent in groups to special training grounds that teach our students to operate in an urban environment. In these arenas you will be faced with three kinds of faux villains. Points will be awarded for defeated these foes and Quirks are encouraged in these combat situations so go wild!”

“Of course,” continued the pro, “while there may be some of you that are inclined to go the anti-hero route and attack other applicants for a better score, I will tell you now that such actions will not be tolerated and will be severely punished.”

“May I ask a question?” asked a young man wearing glasses as she stood up stiffly, “the handouts provided to us stated that there would be four, not three, of these faux villains for us to face. An error like this this does not paint this academy in a good light, especially if U.A. is regarded as the top academy for heroes in Japan.”

“Also,” he said pointing to Izuku who had been muttering again out of nervousness, “you with the curly hair. Your incessant mumbling is distracting to the other applicants. Please cease this at once, or leave if this entire exercise is but a game to you.”

Izuku shrunk into himself, causing Bakugo to ‘tch’ again as Present Mic nodded at the student’s observation.

“Well spotted,” said Present Mic, “in fact there will be a Fourth Villain, but it is not like the others. Unlike the others, it is worth no points and merely exists to become a large obstacle and cause havoc. The best thing to do with it is avoid it.”

“I understand,” said the student, “I apologize for my interruption and for my disrespect.”

“Now,” said Present Mic, “before you all head to your assigned testing grounds, I'll leave you with the school moto. The great Napoleon Bonaparte once said, 'true heroism consists in being superior to the ills of life,' so Go Beyond! PLUS ULTRA!”

xXsceneXx

It wasn’t long after this that Izuku found himself standing amidst a group of other students as they waited outside one of U.A.’s testing grounds, preparing themselves for the Practical portion of the Entrance Exam. He was dressed in a green tracksuit for the exam and tried to do some stretches to calm his mind. Izuku felt that he had done quite well on the Written portion, all that studying about heroes and tactics really paid off, but the practical side was worrying him. He was never top of his class in PE.

**[Do not fret, Lantern Izuku, I believe you shall do fine. So long as you remember what you have learned through our training. Do not forget, your powers are as strong as your Will dictates.]**

Izuku nodded as Present Mic’s voice boomed from the loudspeakers, “OK EVERYBODY! Let’s GO! Your exam begins…NOW!”

The students were surprised at the abruptness and they didn’t move, prompting the Pro Hero to speak up, “OI! You think villains will give you time to think? GO GO GO!”

This prompted the students to dash forward through the open gates of the arena and into a faux city that would serve as the exam grounds. Once inside, the group split up, each student wanting to gather points of their own, and Izuku was left wandering through the streets, wanting to conserve his Power Ring’s reserves just in case, as he looked for the Faux Villains.

**[Lantern Izuku! Enemies approaching!]**

Izuku spun around just as a large robot burst through the wall before setting its optics on the green clad teen.

‘_A One-Pointer,_’ thought Izuku, remembering what the handout had said as he pointed his Ring at the Faux-Villain, ‘_they’re fast, but rather fragile._’

“**Target locked. Prepare for termination,**” said the robot as it began to rush at Izuku.

“Not today!” yelled Izuku as he fired a beam of emerald energy from his Power Ring that speared through the robot and caused it to explode.

“Yes!” cheered Izuku before hurrying off to find more villains to destroy.

Turning a corner, Izuku came across a student trying to use a Quirk that allowed her to enlarge the size of her hands to deal with several Two-Pointers, though Izuku saw a Three-Pointer coming up behind her while she was distracted. Acting quickly, Izuku projected an energy barrier to block the robot’s limb as it was brought down on the girl, giving her time to smash the Two-Pointers before moving on to take care of the Three-Pointer.

“Thanks,” called out the girl, “I owe you one.”

Izuku waved nervously as the girl ran off before shaking his head to clear the butterflies, “Right, gotta get more points.”

**[Lantern Izuku, might I suggest an aerial perspective?]**

Izuku refrained from slapping himself for not thinking of that and soon enough, he was covered with a green glow as he took to the sky. As he flew over the arena, he began to get into the groove, using his energy blasts to snipe various Faux-Villains from overhead, gathering a decent amount of points.

“Thirty-two so far,” said Izuku, “I hope that’s enough.”

**[I would suggest erring on the side of caution and gathering more, Lantern Izuku]**

Nodding, Izuku flew off to gather more points.

xXsceneXx

In a dark room illuminated only by the glow of the observation monitors, several figures watched the entrance exam areas and took notes on the students that were competing.

"We have quite the bumper crop this year," mused one of the figures as he watched the various Quirks being used.

“This year seems to be even more significant,” said a second figure as he watched footage of Izuku flying and shooting energy blasts from his Ring.

"Perhaps," said another, "these exams bring out the potential of the applicants. Simulated combat in a limited timeframe shows us how they operate under stress."

"However," said a third figure, "the true test, begins now."

Reaching out, the figure lifted a safety cover off of a bright red button before pressing said switch, causing a rumbling to be felt in the arenas as several large gates opened to release the next threat for the students to face.

xXsceneXx

Back with Izuku, he could hear the rumbling and saw several students running away as a MASSIVE robot rolled forward, smashing through buildings as it went. Izuku’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped as he saw the size and scale of the Zero-Pointer.

“Th-that’s the mystery obstacle?” he said in shock.

**[Do not let your fear control you, Lantern Izuku. You have more important things to worry about.]**

“Right,” said Izuku, “I have to get more points.”

**[While an admirable mindset, I was not referring to that, Lantern Izuku. Direct your gaze to the ground in front of the Villain.]**

Izuku looked down and a chill of horror shot down his spine, for lying directly in the path of the massive Villain-Robot, was the girl who had helped him earlier when he had tripped, except this time it was her that needed help, as her legs were trapped beneath some fallen rubble and thus pinning her down in the path of the Villain’s treads.

Knowing what he had to do, Izuku flew down in front of the robot and began firing off energy blasts to try and stop the behemoth, but all he could do was slow it’s inevitable path forward.

“Damnit!” yelled Izuku as he tried an energy wall, but the robot simply smashed through, “I have to stop that thing.”

**[Lantern Izuku, you will need to create an energy construct. Focus! Your Will powers this Ring! Find an image in your mind, one you can see clear as day, and Will it into existence!]**

‘_An image I can see clear as day?_’ thought Izuku as he closed his eyes. As he focused, a single image, no, a memory appeared in his mind. One that always gave him a sense of hope. A memory of a blazing fire, a memory of rescue, where one man saved many lives, a bright smile never leaving his face.

** _No need to fear…_ **

‘_Thank you, All Might,_’ thought Izuku as he opened his eyes, his irises radiating emerald light, ‘_it’s my turn to be the hero!_’

With a roar, Izuku thrust his fist forward and a blinding green light erupted from the Power Ring, enveloping the zero-pointer. When the light faded, everyone’s jaws hit the floor at what they saw, for surrounding Izuku, was a large muscular figure made up of green light that held back the giant robot with its equally giant hands. The kicker, was that the figure wasn’t just some random individual. No, this one was a bit more familiar.

**[Well done, Lantern Izuku. As I said, you just needed the right focus.]**

“Thanks,” said Izuku as he reared back the fist of the giant All Might energy construct he had created around himself, “now to finish things off.”

With a roar, Izuku had the construct, punch forward, slamming its fist into the zero-pointer and sending it flying back the way it came, just as the bell went off to signal the end of the exam. As Izuku floated back to the ground he knew one thing: whether of not he had gathered enough points, one thing was certain, today, he was a hero.


	4. Quirk Testing

“Let’s see,” said Izuku as he went through his bag, “do I have everything?”

**[You can relax Lantern Izuku. All of your school supplies are present and accounted for in your bag…just like the last three times you checked.]**

“Right, sorry,” chuckled Izuku, “I’m just a bit nervous. It’s my first day at U.A. after all.”

After returning home from the Entrance Exam, Izuku had privately celebrated that he had finally been able to create a fully formed energy construct with his Ring, before going back to training to ensure that he could replicate the feat when needed. His zeal to train was also a way for him to push back the nagging fear that he would not have measured up during the exam and would have failed to pass. However, such fears were quickly put to rest when a hologram message player arrived, through which All Might congratulated him on not only passing, but getting the top score in the entire Exam.

All Might explained that the students participating in the exam were not just being graded on their combat skills in regards to fighting the faux-villains, but also on what kinds of heroes they really were, leading to corresponding ‘Hero Points’ being rewarded along with the ‘Villain Points’ given out for busting the robots. As it turned out, defeating the Zero-Pointer Villain so he could protect the girl who had gotten trapped gave him a large amount of Hero Points that, when put together with his Villain Points, gained him the top spot in the rankings. 

And now, Izuku was preparing to take his first step towards becoming a hero.

“Now,” muttered Izuku as he glanced down at the new student flier he had been given, which notated which class would be his Homeroom, “where is classroom 1-A?”

**[I believe it is that one just ahead, Lantern Izuku.]**

Izuku looked up and saw that, indeed, there was a large, and I do mean large, door with 1A emblazoned on it just ahead in the hall. Shoving the flier into his pocket, Izuku quickly hurried to the door and paused.

“Well,” he muttered to himself, “here we go.”

**[You seem worried, Lantern Izuku. Shouldn’t you be happy you are about to begin your first day here at this Hero Academy?]**

“I know,” said Izuku, “It’s just, I’m worried about what kinds of classmates I’ll have. I hope I can get along with them, I mean, I’ll be with them for the next few years and I don’t want to get on any of their bad sides like I did with that guy with glasses and I know it might be kind of mean but I really hope Kacchan isn’t in my class, because he can get kind of scary and was pretty mad that I enrolled in U.A. and…”

**[Lantern Izuku, I feel obliged to point out that you are rambling again. Relax, there is no point in fearing this. Stay strong and know that you’ll get through it.]**

“Right,” said Izuku as he put on a smile, “thanks for that. I needed to hear it.”

**[It’s what I’m here for. That, and training you to use the powers of this Ring.]**

Izuku nodded and placed his hand on the doorknob, “Well, let’s go!”

Pushing open the door, Izuku stepped into the classroom, feeling ready to take on the world.

“Please remove your feet from that desk! Such an act is disrespectful to your fellow classmates!”

“SHUT UP YOU TWO-BIT EXTRA! I DON’T GIVE TWO SHITS ABOUT WHAT YOU OR THE OTHERS THINK!”

‘_They’re both here,_’ Izuku groaned mentally.

**[I apologize, Lantern Izuku. Perhaps there is something to worry about after all.]**

“Ah!” exclaimed the boy Katsuki had been arguing with as he noticed Izuku standing in the doorway and walked over, “Hello, I am Tenya Iida from Soumei Junior High!”

“I’m Midoriya Izuku,” said Izuku nervously, wondering if he was going to be chastised again by the teen like he had been at the entrance exam.

“I humbly apologize for my words the other day!” exclaimed Iida with a stiff yet formal bow.

Well, that was unexpected.

“You were able to do what I could not and decerned the true nature of the practical exam,” declared the teen as he straightened out and waved his hands around somewhat robotically, “not only that, but you finished with the number one score!”

“I-i-it’s not that big of a deal,” stammered Izuku, noticing that this was beginning to enrage Bakugo.

“Deku,” growled the teen, but before he could go any further, he was cut off by the door opening and another student walking in.

“Ah! It’s you, the green boy!” exclaimed the student, causing Izuku to turn and see the girl he had rescued during, “I’m glad everything went alright. You really sent that giant robot flying!”

“If you’re all going to get chummy, then leave,” said a voice, causing the gathered students to look around before noticing a tired looking man lying just outside the door in a sleeping bag that only exposed his head, “this is the U.A. Hero Course, not some social club.”

Unzipping the sleeping bag, the man climbed out, revealing a black outfit with a scarf-like set of wraps hanging loosely around his neck. Walking to the front of the room, he regarded the gathered students with a tired yet serious glare, “it took you lot eight minutes to quiet down. In the field, that can spell the difference between life and death.”

“Is he…a Pro Hero?” mused Izuku quietly to himself.

**[It would seem so, Lantern Izuku. There is an air of experience beneath his outward appearance.]**

“My name is Aizawa Shota,” said the man, “and for the foreseeable future, I shall be your Homeroom teacher. Now, everybody change into your Gym uniforms and head out to the PE field. It’s time for your first lesson here at U.A. A Quirk Apprehension Test.”

Aizawa left the room as the students scrambled to gram their Gym uniforms so they could get changed and follow his instructions, and it wasn’t long before all of class 1-A was assembled at the PE area, waiting for instructions.

“Good,” said Aizawa, “you lot didn’t waste any time getting here. Now, we’re going to be having a Physical Test like you’ve probably underwent during your previous years in school, with one exception though: this time, you’re all allowed to use your Quirks.”

“Bakugo,” said the teacher as he picked up a softball and tossed it to the explosive teen, “what was your longest softball pitch in middle school?”

“67 meters,” answered Bakugo as he caught the ball.

“Give it a toss and use your Quirk this time,” said Aizawa as he stepped back, indicating Bakugo to stand in a chalk circle on the ground, “do whatever you need, so long as you do not leave this circle.”

Katsuki nodded and tossed the ball up and down a few times, getting a feel for its weight, before rearing back his arm for a pitch.

“DIE!” yelled Bakugo as he hurled the ball forward while simultaneously releasing an explosion from his hand that propelled the ball even further, before eventually landing on the grass a good distance away.

Aizawa watched as the distance was calculated on his handheld device, “Above all else, we must know our own limits and capabilities, so we can set our standards to measure the growth of our abilities,” showing the results to the gathered students, he revealed the Katsuki had thrown the ball a grand total of 705.2 meters with his Quirk, “this will be a rational metric to form the basis of your ‘Hero Foundation.’”

The students took this rather well, with several cheering about how fun this was going to be, but Izuku noticed a change come over their teacher, “‘Fun’ you say?” he muttered to himself, “is that what you think this is? A place to have fun and relax? I thought you wanted to become Heroes?”

“Alright then,” he said as he regarded them with a chilling look, “in that case, here’s a new rule to let you know how serious this is: the student that scores the lowest in this exam, will be expelled. Immediately.”

This brought up them up short and Aizawa continued, “This is the U.A. Hero Course. From here on out, things are going to be serious and you can’t treat this as a child’s game. Your actions, or inactions, will have serious consequences.”

Aizawa outlined the tests as being a softball pitch, standing long jump, 50-meter dash, endurance running, a grip strength test, sustained sideways jumps, upper body exercises, and a seated toe touch test. The students then gathered up and began the tests. With the uses of their Quirks, there were some obvious advantages within the group, with the girl Izuku had saved, dominating the softball pitch by negating the gravitational pull on the ball and earning an ‘infinity’ score for the test as the ball was left to float out of the atmosphere.

That’s not to say that other students didn’t have creative ways to make their mark, with, for example, one girl using her Quirk to create a cannon to fire the softball out of instead of throwing it, and a blond boy using a laser he shot out of his midsection to gain distance in the 50 meter dash. This inspired Izuku, and when his turn came, he lit an emerald aura around himself and lifted off the ground before shooting toward the finish line so fast that he broke the sound barrier, causing Aizawa to hold up a score that read ‘.15 seconds’

Izuku didn’t let up though when it came time for the long jump and used a similar strategy, lifting off from the ground and flying halfway to the opposite end of the field before Aizawa called for him to stop.

“You, Midoriya was it?” he asked in an even tone.

“Yes sensei?” asked Izuku as he flew over and landed by his teacher.

“What you did just now,” he said, “you can fly all but indefinitely, right?”

“Right,” said Izuku hesitantly causing Aizawa to sigh.

Typing into the device in his hand he held it up for the students to see, showing another infinity symbol.

“Seriously?” exclaimed a teen with spiky red hair, “Another infinity.”

“To be expected of the top scorer from the Entrance Exam,” said another who’s Quirk

“Settle down,” said Aizawa, “Midoriya, move on to the next test.”

Izuku nodded and stepped into the circle again and prepared for the softball pitch test, thinking to himself how best to attain the desired score, settling on doing what he did to pass the Entrance Exam, creating a construct out of Green light around his body shaped like All Might, albeit one not as large as the one he used in the exam, and picked up the ball, giving it a mighty (forgive the pun) throw that sent the ball hurtling into the distance, scoring an 852.3 Meters on the scale.

“Very good,” said Aizawa, “now, as for the scores: Minoru Mineta. Please see me in my office. We will discuss your future prospects as a former student of U.A. The rest of you are dismissed for the day…except for you, Midoriya. I wish to speak with you.”

Once the rest of the students had dispersed along with a despondent Mineta, Aizawa turned and leveled a glare at Izuku, “Now, tell me why I wasn’t able to erase your Quirk.”


End file.
